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I recall that I was excited at the prospect (?4 years ago?) of Rohan and Jetta both playing on half back flank with a role to receive from the "real" defenders and take off up the wing and delivering to a Franklin and Goodes. Real speed and versatile enough to kick goals as well.

Didn't happen but Lloyd became the link man from defence, and played this important role.

Jetta gone, and, methinks, Rohan better as forward. Perhaps still a chance for a Fox type to assist in a fast but controlled transition.

I don't think a player can rely on raw speed anymore. Other teams worked out how to stop Jetta after 2012 and he's never been the same since. Rohans never delivered on his potential, maybe over-hyped because of the over valuation of speed as a football asset.

Being slower than everyone else is a problem. But being faster only has very limited upside and produces a few cameo moments to frustrate fans.

One article on the Swans website the other day that interested me, was on the number of academy kids, that have signed on with other NEAFL sides for the upcoming season. There were seven in total. Harrison Carr, Angus Baker, Jarrod Osborne and Luke Robertson have signed for Canberra. Sydney Uni have picked up Sam Barkley and Cooper Lee. While Will Gowers is off to Brisbane to play for Aspley.
Even though it would be nice if we produced more graduates worthy of inclusion on the Swans list, I still see this as a positive development. Firstly, producing kids that other teams want to sign, suggests that we are doing something right at the academy. Also, if our ex-academy players strengthen the NEAFL, then this should work to our long term advantage. Having a tougher week in, week out competition, should mean that any players promoted from our reserves, are more ready to make that transition. And if the other NEAFL teams do become more competitive, this may mean a few more people attending the games and maybe even a few more kids being motivated to take up the game.

Couple of pics on the Swans website showing McCartin taking strong grabs. I wonder if this is going to turn out to be an inspired choice.

Pick 33 this year (2016 ND) but if he'd been a year older may have been top 10, after all KPF are by a long way the most difficult players to get your hands on. Worth waiting the extra 12 months for, like we did with Hanners and Adelaide did with Dangerfield.

Melican was another player that, if we hadn't rookied him as a 17yo, would have played U18 again the next year and become a much higher pick.

Couple of pics on the Swans website showing McCartin taking strong grabs. I wonder if this is going to turn out to be an inspired choice.

Pick 33 this year (2016 ND) but if he'd been a year older may have been top 10, after all KPF are by a long way the most difficult players to get your hands on. Worth waiting the extra 12 months for, like we did with Hanners and Adelaide did with Dangerfield.

Melican was another player that, if we hadn't rookied him as a 17yo, would have played U18 again the next year and become a much higher pick.

While skinny, he looked very composed and strong in the marking contest in his video. He will develop a frame in the next two years and could become a very dangerous player. Look at him to kick a bag of goals this year in the Reserves. We will make him a target I think. Rose needs to develop a defensive mindset to match his attacking prowess and he could be a good player and a good second forward option to young McCartin. They could end up a prolific pair.

The wider ramifications of this news is that it's kind of good, if not very good, for the club. I don't really know the situation with salary cap but to me Jake Niall's view seems to square more with my understanding than liz's. If this is right, there is a lot of upside to this development:

1. It's a position where we have good depth - we have two proven alternatives (Naismith, Sinclair) and a very promising understudy (Cameron) who could all play this year as required. As it was, at least two of those were going to miss selection and now they won't. They will have more opportunities (which they deserve) and will have more incentive to remain with the Swans and to develop into the best players they can be. And we won't be spending big $$ on them unnecessarily.

2. Tippett was the ruck who was chewing up the most salary cap. It may not make much difference to the salary cap this year (particularly given we can't recruit anyone else now anyway) but I think it will make a significant difference in the next 2-3 seasons. In fact there was no better way that we could have extricated ourselves from having so much salary cap tied up with him (assuming it is true that we are, at least to a substantial degree, extricating ourselves from this problem). Even if we had succeeded trading him (which was a long shot at best) we would surely have had to cover a chunk of his salary. Now I'm not so sure we will.

Instead, while I would think that our existing maturing list will require more salary to retain going forward, the departure of Tippett plus Macca this season has got to give us a fair bit of relief. Plus I figure that Kizza's salary must be tapering now too. Maybe it will even create space for us to chase a big name free agent - now that is exciting! Although Tom Lynch is probably just a bourne too far I won't give up hoping just a little bit until we know otherwise.

The most relevant part of Twomey's article being "Blakey appears likely to be first picked from that bunch and could be an early selection, such is his height (196cm) and mobility"

A lot of water to go under the Harbour Bridge yet but if Nick does choose us it could cost us our first two picks, that would be our first (pick 18) and the Pies second somewhere in the 20s you'd reckon.

Best wishes to Michael, it seems to be a promotion despite the fact he will be subordinate to SOS. I claim no direct knowledge but, given the success of our recruitment over Michael's tenure, you'd have to say he's done a good job for us.